Paper Flower Inspiration

Elizabeth headed to San Antonio this weekend to pick up some items we need for an upcoming project, and ended up coming home with a ton of inspiration as well! We love flowers of all kinds - including these wonderful folded paper bouquets from a San Antonio market. She also picked up a new mascot for the store - doesn't our pink lady look fierce?

Elizabeth's Expert Advice: Mother Nature's Throne

With spring just around the corner, Elizabeth was inspired to make this gorgeous floral chair. We think this would make a beautiful addition to spring wedding decor, but it could be customized for any season and theme. Scroll on to learn how we did it! 

1. Remove the seat from a vintage chair - Elizabeth found this one at a market for $10! 

2. Measure the dimensions of the seat or place it on a large piece of foam to trace the exact shape. Cut out using scissors or an Exacto blade. 

3. Reinforce the foam around the edges and at regular intervals in the middle. - we used these wooden dowels but anything sturdy and glue-able will do. 

4. Using plastic garden fencing or chicken wire, measure enough to wrap around the entire seat once. Set aside.

5. Place several pieces of floral foam onto the reinforced seat, leaving a small border around the edges. Wrap in the measured piece of garden fencing or chicken wire and check that the entire piece fits well onto your vintage chair.

6. Take several pieces of moss and attach them to the foam edges, using floral glue or the moss's own sticking power. 

7. Begin inserting your flowers! We used muscari, poppies, wax flower, delphinium, ranunculus, bouvardia in bright, vibrant colors to celebrate the upcoming warm seasons. Don't worry tooo much about placement - the loose, organic look is what we're going for! 

8. For the top arrangement we used another piece of Oasis in a plastic cage and attached it to the chair with a green plastic zip-tie. We added a Garden Rose in addition to more of the previously used flowers, and finished the sides with bay laurel, eucalyptus and myrtle greens. Keep the greens in place with green wire .

9. Step back and admire!

Happy creating! 

Flower of the Week: Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

image via Flickr

Even though it feels a lot like spring in Austin, we suppose much of the world isn't so lucky. With that noted, our flower of the week is winter-blooming Witch Hazel. This spindly flower gets its name from the English plant Wych Elm, which colonists coming to America promptly co-opted and attached to the entirely unrelated shrub we now know as witch hazel. 

This plant is popular in gardens due to the color of its blooms, and has edible seeds as well as multiple medicinal uses. 

Friday Link Love

Happy Friday, everyone! We have a lot of big events coming up to prepare for, weddings to attend and silly Austin weather to contend with (85 to 55 in less than 24 hrs? What is the deal?). Here's a roundup of things we loved around the internet this week to keep you occupied until we come back in full force next week!

Pugly Pixel for inspiration! We are big fans of her Blog Bling :)

GSD&M's Pinterest-integrated SXSW Survival Guide 

The Fit Cook's Stuffed Strawberry French Toast

HelloGiggles' Kitten Cam - in honor of our soon-to-arrive Official La Fleur Kitten! 

This laser cut bear necklace from Cutpath is wonderful. 

Freckled Strawberry Lemonade Bars - our lovely bride Odile brought these by as a treat!

This North Carolina Victorian wedding is absolutely unbelievable.

Sherbet-colored hair! Not for everyone, but it sure is pretty to look at. 

These paper house lights are amazing. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Things We Love: Needlepoint

This morning we headed to Elizabeth's gorgeous Italian villa-style apartment to snap a few shots of some of her beautiful pieces of needlepoint. Having practiced needlepoint as a hobby for years, Elizabeth is able to make amazingly intricate designs. 

Each large piece takes hours upon hours to complete, and the results are incredibly lovely: 

 We love the rise of traditional crafts and sewing as a recognized art style - so much work and dedication goes into needlepoint, quilting, embroidery - the list goes on and on. Do you have a similar hobby? Brag about it in the comments!

Elizabeth's Expert Advice: Terra Cotta Cake Plates & Candlestick Holders

The weather is suddenly so gorgeous in Austin that yesterday we were inspired to have an impromptu tea party with the results of this week's Expert Advice and mini red velvet cupcakes from Sara Belle's. 

Today's expert advice from Elizabeth is a tutorial on making these cute terra cotta dessert plates and candle holders. 

Materials needed for this little project are:

Small terracotta planters and bases 

A hot glue gun

Quick drying clay or putty

Optional:

Moss

Various sizes and colors of lace

Patterned paper, such as scrap-booking paper

You'll need an array of these mini planters and bases - stocking up is a cinch because they're quite inexpensive, which gives you some room to play around with different heights and sizes. 

The candlesticks work best with either two or four mini planters stacked up, and one smaller planter nestled in the very top to hold the candle.

For the dessert plates, you can use any size planter for the base and any size plate you choose as long as the planter is big enough to provide support - you can easily balance them together to choose your sizes before committing to hot glue. 

Using your tool of choice, measure around the bottom of your plate - there will be a tiny raised point in the center that you can use as a reference point. Then trace a circle of that size onto your patterned paper, cut out, and press into the plate. 

We mixed-and-matched different patterns for a fun look.

Riot o' ribbon! We used 3 different ribbons and left several of the plates plain as well to avoid a look that was too fussy. 

Wrapping ribbon around the edge of your plate is a little easier if you flip it upside down and use the flat surface of your work table to help keep the ribbon even. We used a bit of hot glue every two inches or so to keep this pleated ribbon in place. 

To create these mossy candlestick holders, take four mini planters of the same size and hot glue them end-to-end. Be sure the widest point of your bottom planter is facing downward to start - this will give your holder more stability. 

Once your planter are glued together, place a smaller one inside the top - these are perfectly sized to hold tapers and will be the piece that actually holds your candle. Once you have the two top pieces fitted together, press a small amount of quick-drying clay into the bottom (we used Crayola) to provide a little more stability for your candle. 

Press the bottom of your candle into the clay, and then around the base of the candle, wrap a small amount of moss. Voila! 

The terra cotta is a great look for an outdoor dinner party or picnic - we surrounded this little tea party with geraniums and daisies for a fresh, summery feel - because it definitely already feels like summer here in Texas. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone! 

Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

One of the big things we're noticing for this year's spring and summer brides (and let's face it, fellow Austinites: it might as well be spring here already) is the flower crown. Sometimes worn in lieu of carrying a bouquet or perched on the head of a flower girl, there is probably no better way to feel like Titania herself while walking down the aisle than to don a wreath of blooms in your hair. You might be picturing a simple daisy wreath right now, but don't be underwhelmed. These can get as big and dramatic as you want (polarizing It Girl Lana Del Rey makes copious use of them while warbling slightly tragic love songs and what's more dramatic than that?) or can go the sweet and simple route for a flower girl or smaller wedding.

Here are a few of our own, and a few photos we keep around for inspiration.

Crown by La Fleur Vintage; image by The Nichols



image via Pinterest



Baby's breath flower girl crown by La Fleur Vintage, image by Kristi Wright Photography

A floral crown and a tiara: the best of both worlds.
Image via Pinterest

 If you love these as much as we do, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a tutorial from Elizabeth on how to create these on your own!



Flower of the Week: The Crocus

Crocus

crocus longiflorus

image via Flickr

In the day of Queen Victoria, the crocus was the symbol of Gladness and was meant to be a word of caution and to not abuse.

Funny, with Valentine's Day just behind us, Crocus was dedicated to Saint Valentine and appears to pop up around this time of the year.  Eager for that early pollen, after the winter months the Bee makes the cup of the crocus open.

The scent of crocuses is mysterious and alluring and has been said to dispurse drowsiness and quicken the pulse.  It is said that Cleopatra made an oil for her hands from this sweet flower.  In Greek mythology, Homer put crocuses in the bed of the King and Queen of Heaven. 

I don't know about you but, I am so ready for these early blooms and hope to see them growing in gardens very soon.

Let Them Eat Cake: French China and Porcelain

Image via Flickr

One of the many beautiful things in the world that inspires us at La Fleur Vintage is French china, particularly Limoges brands Bernardaud and Haviland, as well as Gien. There are hundreds of beautiful sets and patterns within those three brands alone, and we wanted to show off a few we've been loving lately.

Limoges porcelain is revered for its lustre and translucency, qualities that are a result of a particular ingredient: kaolin. Kaolin is a soft white clay mineral and had long been the secret of stunning Chinese porcelain before being discovered and put to use by French artisans in Limoges in 1768.

Surely even Marie Antoinette would have loved this floral patterned cup and saucer?

Image via Pinterest

A lovely vintage Haviland pattern

Snaps to the vintage-minded lady who turned this Haviland plate into a temporary dessert stand.

Gien produces faience, or white glazed earthenware pottery, which spread in popularity after Louis XIV ordered all gold and silver dinnerware to be melted down and the nobility had to find alternate materials for table settings. King Louis preferred faience even over his extensive collection of fine Chinese porcelain, and soon faience became a favorite amongst wealthy French citizens.

Sweets for the sweet: a set of Gien dessert plates

Gien's 'Millefleurs' pattern

Beautiful china is meant to be used and loved - there's nothing that makes a simple meal or cup of tea feel more special than using such gorgeous dinnerware. Do you have a particular pattern you collect or long for? Prefer English china to French? We want to hear about it!

Our Favorite Romantic Arrangements

Whew! We spent all day putting together beautiful things for your loved ones, listening to love songs and trying not to break into spontaneous recitations of love-struck sonnets. Now that the day is winding down, we can show you guys a few of our favorite arrangements of the day!

These purple roses were a huge hit - aren't those dusty hues amazing?

Very favorite - is there any way to look at those colors and not smile?

Here's hoping everyone has had a wonderful day so far and will enjoy a fantastic night with their loved ones!

XOXO from La Fleur Vintage!

What to Listen to: Valentine's Day Edition

via

Whether you're obsessively crushing or romantically attached, Valentine's Day always seems to require a special playlist - here's a mish-mash of our favorite songs for hopeless crushes and besotted lovers. Click on any of the song titles to preview, or listen to the whole thing on Spotify here!

Her Eyes are a Million Blue Miles - the Black Keys

Blue As Your Blood - the Walkmen

Nothing Like You and I - the Perishers

Your Arms Around Me - Jens Lekman

Little Bit - Lykke Li

Under Your Spell - Desire

Breakfast - EMA

Fake Empire - the National

Eskimo Kiss - the Kooks

Strawberry - Paul Baribeau

All You Need is Love - the Beatles

If there's a special song you'll be playing for a loved one today, please share it with us!

Happy Valentine's Day!

And ... we're off! Gonna be a busy day - check out how gorgeous the cooler is, filled to the brim with romantic blooms.

Texas Women in Business Event

Last week we were happy to host the Texas Women in Business for a little get-together - such a smashing time was had by all that we forgot to get snap-happy with the camera, but here are a few photos we managed to sneak in:

A peek at the decor.

Some of our wonderful attendees:



Thanks to all the ladies for hanging out! We had a lot of fun and we hope everyone else did too!